Empire Conquest-Chapter 815 - 78: Escort Operation (Part 2)
The resulting consequence is that after launching cruise missiles, they do not fly directly towards the target, thus the range is slightly longer than the distance.
Therefore, the bombers need to fly closer.
Because the same terrain-matching guidance system is used, the digital map serving as a reference is actually provided by reconnaissance satellites or reconnaissance aircraft, inevitably resulting in certain errors. Hence, over land, the relative altitude of the cruise missiles to the ground is generally controlled around 500 meters.
Obviously, this also restricts the penetration rate of the cruise missiles.
Moreover, the navigation data for the cruise missiles must be set before the bombers take off, so the bombers can only launch the cruise missiles within a specified area.
It’s not necessary to be at a single point, but it must be within a predetermined range.
If the deviation is too great and exceeds the maximum correction range during the inertial flight phase of the cruise missile, then the terrain-matching guidance system cannot work properly. This is especially true over land. To reduce the impact of terrain, the cruise missiles must be launched in the predetermined airspace.
Obviously, this severely limits the operational flexibility of the bombers.
In conclusion, restricted by these factors, when attacking strategic targets like the city of Mosa, which is located in the interior of the continent and surrounded by a significant amount of anti-aircraft fire, meticulous planning of the flight path of the bombers is necessary, along with providing enough cover for the bombers.
In the Empire Air Force, only the "War-11" has the capability to carry out escort missions.
The reasoning is simple, only heavy fighters have sufficient range.
Modern escort operations are fundamentally different from those during the last war.
Simply put, in a modern sense, escort operations actually involve sending fighters ahead to gain air superiority, or more accurately, to intercept enemy air defense fighters.
Therefore, the escort fighters are essentially performing interception tasks.
In tactical uses, they share many similarities with interceptors.
This was also the real reason why the Empire Air Force proposed high-altitude and high-speed performance indicators for the development of the "War-11", to replace dedicated interceptors.
However, escort fighters are not interceptors.
In comparison, escort fighters have more comprehensive performance requirements. Besides needing high-altitude and high-speed capabilities, they must also have long range, strong maneuverability, a large enough payload, and advanced electronic equipment centered around fire control radar.
Simply put, escort fighters must be able to handle any challenge and defeat all enemy aircraft.
To date, only the Empire Air Force’s "War-11" can be considered a qualified escort fighter. In the West Continent Group, there are no similar fighters. In the Beigu Group, the Newland Air Force’s F-15 fighters suffer from insufficient reliability and short range issues. With three large auxiliary fuel tanks, the combat radius can reach only 1500 kilometers, which is just about the level of the "War-11" using internal fuel tanks.
The latest improved version of the "War-11", the D model, still in test flight, has gained the ability to carry 2000-liter auxiliary fuel tanks at the belly and wing root hardpoints. In addition, with two 3300-liter conformal fuel tanks each, the combat radius, when configured for air superiority missions, can reach an astonishing 2500 kilometers.
However, the primary value of escort fighters is actually to attract enemy attention.
Of course, those participating in the operation won’t just be the "War-11B".
According to the arrangement of the Air Force Command, at least one "Zhi-8C" will provide support from the rear, along with electronic reconnaissance aircraft and communication relay aircraft assisting.
The key factor remains the distance.
To be honest, it’s truly far.
After takeoff, the plane group will fly north over the Empire’s homeland, then west across the Broad Sea and Chains Land Bridge to the sky over the Mo Sea, then turn north to cross into the land from the Crimean direction, with the bombers executing the attack mission launching the cruise missiles north of the Crimean.
This one-way flight distance exceeds 5000 kilometers!
To achieve this, the Air Force will deploy about 30 large tankers, providing fighter refueling once over Balkhash Lake and Chains Land Bridge respectively, and over the eastern airspace of the Broad Sea, providing one air refueling for early warning and electronic reconnaissance aircraft and other large support planes.
After completing the mission, during the return journey, it’s possible to decide whether to carry out air refueling based on the situation.
To say, this is indeed a large-scale operation.
Putting aside other aspects, 30 tankers can carry 4500 tons of fuel.
Regrettably, the tankers are still not enough.
For this reason, no air defense suppression fighters have been arranged to participate in the operation, and Li Tianling and his team have to maximize avoidance of entering the interception zones of the enemy’s area air defense systems.
Of course, for the fighters executing offensive escort missions, they generally don’t need to consider enemy air defense weapons.
The key point is that all escort fighters fly at high altitudes.
If there’s a real threat, simply turning and flying away is enough.
Even if warning devices are needed, carrying electronic jamming pods on the wingtip hardpoints to ensure timely interception of enemy radar signals is sufficient.
Actually, what puzzled Li Tianling is why it’s being made so complicated.
Is it merely strategic bombing?
From a reasonable perspective, at least the fighters should be stationed at the air base over the Chains Land Bridge; if that’s not feasible, they should be deployed on the eastern coast of the Broad Sea.
This way, the flight distance during sorties could be greatly reduced.
Of course, it would also reduce the number of times refueling is needed.
If 30 tankers are still used, then air defense suppression fighters could be arranged to engage in combat.
As for the bombers, deploying them in the rear would certainly pose no issues, given that the bombers’ range is sufficiently long.
Since large early warning aircraft are providing assistance, there isn’t the issue of coordination difficulties, so there’s no reason for the fighters to be deployed rearward.
In fact, deploying the fighters rearward doesn’t solve the coordination problem.
Since different types of aircraft have different cruising speeds, deploying all of them in the rear only adds more trouble.
To say, similar tactics have been rehearsed multiple times in past joint exercises, and it’s always been the escort fighters that are deployed forward.
The commander of this operation, Major General Zhang Jiazhen, explained that the aim is to achieve operational surprise.
Of course, he made these remarks in front of all the pilots.
The bombing targets are strategic sites in West Luosha, including the President Mansion, the headquarters of the General Staff Department, the Army Headquarter, the Air Force Command, the National Telecommunications Communication Center, and National Television Station. The aim is not only to destroy these targets but also to kill leaders including the president of West Luosha.
In summary, the operation’s intentions must not be exposed prematurely.
Deploying escort fighters forward will surely reveal the operational intentions.
Not to mention, over the Chains Land Bridge, the Empire Air Force has deployed light fighters like the "War-10", not heavy fighters.
Moreover, even on the eastern side of the Broad Sea, there aren’t many heavy fighters.
The only heavy fighter unit deployed by the Empire Air Force in the Northwest War Zone is still in the northern Chelyabinsk, primarily tasked with covering Leaf Castle.
Besides, the main task of heavy fighters is interception, and they are all deployed at rear airports.
As long as heavy fighters are deployed at front-line airports, it inevitably relates to strategic bombing.
In Li Tianling’s view, this reasoning doesn’t make sense at all.
Secrecy is indeed important, but the forward airports have enough hangars, and the escort fighters are only temporarily stationed.
Additionally, no matter how capable the enemy is, they can’t infer the flight paths of the bombers from merely dozens of fighters, let alone deduce the bombing sites.
Even if they deduce it, so what?
No matter how capable enemy intelligence agencies are, at most, they can ascertain that the Empire Air Force will launch a strategic bombing in the near term, but cannot determine the exact timing of the strategic bombing assault.
If there’s a threat, should the president leave the President Mansion, the General Staff Department cease operations, and the National Telecommunications Center and National Television Station close operations?
If that’s the case, what’s the point of bombing?
Li Tianling did not openly refute Zhang Jiazhen’s words.
Zhang Jiazhen is not only his superior but also his grandfather and was personally promoted by Li Yunxiang, a valued subordinate who could be considered a direct disciple.
Despite being an Air Force Major General, Zhang Jiazhen’s rank’s value far surpasses that of other majors.
He has always served in grassroots units, piloting dozens of combat aircraft, and has never worked at the command headquarters!
Arguably, precisely because he lacks experience in the command headquarters, Zhang Jiazhen has not advanced in rank.
But, speaking of personal abilities, he is undoubtedly capable.
Actually, Zhang Jiazhen has been a model for Li Tianling to emulate and learn from; otherwise, he wouldn’t have stayed in frontline units, repeatedly giving up chances to return to commands.
After Zhang Jiazhen introduced the mission, Li Tianling sent the other pilots away.
If there were things that were difficult to say initially, then after sending others away, there would be nothing inconvenient to discuss.
